heres a Hawaii Kai sign - Help me find it for my yard! - I bet its under the winter garden theatre in the basement rusting away -

Its Now an Applebees sign

Isn't that sad? I'll bet you it is stashed down there under the Winter Garden beneath old costumes for 'Cats' and 'Mamma Mia'.

I said this once, I'll say it a thousand times: I moved to NYC in 1986 and was in that area of Times Square often. Why the HELL did I not spot the Hawaii Kai? I could've easily walked in but I don't remember it being there. Shame, just a shame.

wow i been there to hawaii kai a few times. i was just doing what is called a talk section in yelp.com http://www.yelp.com/topic/miami-wheres-the-best-chinese-food and mentioned hawaii kai in ny. as i can remember it feels like they closed in the early 80's but i could be wrong. i think that's the first place i tried the zombie drink. i got to read through this thread more though, they had a few stages if i can remember maybe a main and then a couple small one(s).there's a polynesian restuarant here in south florida ft.lauderdale on US1 but the last time i was there i did not eat. so i'm gonna soon. but last time i lookes through the menu i could not find hawaiin steak or is it called polynesian steak. it has pork medallions or steak cuts with the beef also. so good.

This is my modest collection of Hawaii Kai stuff:
This past week, I scored this table card from the Hawaii Kai. One of my favorite scores & worth the buck I paid for it.:
It advertises a bowl drink called the Sea Goddess & says "Take the Goddess home." With all of the stuff this place gave away, I find it hard to believe that no one here has one of these shell bowls. If you do, please post a pic of it. This is the closest thing I've got & I'm 99% sure it's not from the Hawaii Kai. I think it captures the spirit, though.

Looks like Hawaii Kai was once called 'Lanai' at some point. After I looked at this my first thought was that maybe they changed management toward the end, but that would have been in the late 80s and as far as I know telephone numbers were no longer being published with alphabetical prefixes the way it is on the front of the card. So this must have been on the 60s or 70s?

I saw that card on ebay a while back and also wondered about the time-line. In looking a little more closely at the back of the card I was surprised to see that the Lanai was started by Monte Proser who also created the Beachcomber chain which I did a post on not too long ago.

I saw that card on ebay a while back and also wondered about the time-line. In looking a little more closely at the back of the card I was surprised to see that the Lanai was started by Monte Proser who also created the Beachcomber chain which I did a post on not too long ago.

Even more surprising was the location of the Lanai - basically at the same location as the original New York Beachcomber at the Winter Garden Theater!

This mug from the Lanai just sold on ebay.

Interesting twist on the Hawaii Kai history.

DC

Thanks for the info! I looked at that other post. Interesting. Pardon me for being lazy as I didn't read all of it and maybe it was mentioned there but when was Hawaii Kai known as Lanai? Was it in the 50s or 60s?

My Beachcomber post had no mention of the Lanai because this is the FIRST TIME that anybody has figured this out. Monte Proser opened the Lanai in 1961 at the same spot he had The Beachcomber in 1940! The Lanai then became the Hawaii Kai of Tiki fortune and fame (not to mention the movies).

I found these two little clips from a 1961 Palm Beach newspaper about the opening of the Lanai. This is way-cool history.

My Beachcomber post had no mention of the Lanai because this is the FIRST TIME that anybody has figured this out. Monte Proser opened the Lanai in 1961 at the same spot he had The Beachcomber in 1940! The Lanai then became the Hawaii Kai of Tiki fortune and fame (not to mention the movies).

I found these two little clips from a 1961 Palm Beach newspaper about the opening of the Lanai. This is way-cool history.

DC

Wow. So basically that location next to the Winter Garden was the Beachcomber from 1940-1961, and then it was the Lanai for a while and then Hawaii Kai? Man! That's great history but again, I have to totally kick myself because I moved here in 1986. Hawaii Kai and Trader Vic's were both stil here in business. That means that the Hawaii Kai existed in one form or another for over 40 years! And I missed it!!! Damn!!!!